Examples of conventional headwear of the type to which the present invention relates are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,146,979; 1,572,210; 1,744,777; and French Pat. No. 1,221,782. Such patents illustrate enclosures for the storage of batteries and the like, and show arrangements for the inclusion on the headwear of a source of illumination for various purposes. These are relatively complex setups, involving the awkward and cumbersome placement of components, and the enclosures are specifically configured confinements dedicated to particular applications. No provision is made for removal of the light source for use apart from the headwear. Furthermore, the produced light pattern is inconvenient for applications such as night fishing where it is desired to direct a narrow beam of light, with little lateral projection, to a work area directly ahead and just above the waist of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,040 illustrates a mechanism for attaching a conventional flashlight illumination device to the brim of a hat. While this overcomes the lack of usability elsewhere of the lamp of the foregoing devices, the light is beamed down ahead of the user from above the visor, and no shielding is provided against lateral scattering.